


Hamburg Steak

by chronicAngel



Series: Leaves in the Summer [59]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Announcements, Gen, POV Third Person, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 05:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13404123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicAngel/pseuds/chronicAngel
Summary: "You told us before Sasuke, right?"





	Hamburg Steak

She feels like an outsider.

Where in her own home with her own parents, it was easy to feel like she was in control, she feels completely stranded in the Uzumaki household even as this is a place where she spent a large portion of her childhood. Hinata-ba-san, who used to feel like one of the only members of the Uzumaki family she could actually relate to on some level, makes tea in the other room, so she is surrounded by vibrant blue eyes and _chatter._ Her own family is small; her father, her mother, and her maternal grandparents are her only living blood relatives, as Mama is an only child and all of Papa's family passed away years before she was born.

Boruto's family is bigger. Though his father doesn't have any living family other than Karin, whose relationship to Naruto-ji-san they're still trying to put together, Hinata comes from a huge clan that, while not exactly tight-knit, is very fond of her. She thinks she still has a migraine from when they told his Aunt Hanabi about their engagement, and he's spent a long time trying to measure up to Neji's legacy as much as she has her own uncle's or any of their parents.

"How's the view from there, Sarada-chan?" Then there's Himawari. She waves her hand in Sarada's face, and Sarada jolts away, giving her a wide-eyed and confused look. "You look like you're off in space!"

"Oh. Sorry. I was... thinking." She says, scratching at the back of her neck as the recently-promoted jōnin leans back to her seat on her knees next to her brother. With the exception of Naruto, who hovers by the door waiting for his wife, they all sit on the floor where Himawari has set up some game with Boruto that Sarada's lost track of.

She assumes from Boruto's loud groan that he's just lost, and it's at that moment that Hinata enters the room with a tray full of cups of tea. Resolving to ~~make~~ help them clean up the game later, Sarada moves to stand, and immediately Boruto is going to help her up. She finds it kind of endearing, and equally as annoying, but accepts his hand to pull herself up with the knowledge that it won't be too long before she needs that offer and being stubborn is just going to make it harder for her.

She takes the same seat at the table that she always does when she has dinner with the Uzumakis, and Boruto sits in the same place next to her that he traded with Himawari at some point when they were teenagers that she didn't really notice.

When Hinata places a cup of tea in front of her, she freezes up for a second, and looks between the cup and Hinata. Hoping not to give away her anxiety, she stutters, "You... didn't make black tea, did you, ba-san?"

"When are you going to start calling us 'kā-san' and 'tō-san'? I waited too long on the two of you, I don't wanna wait anymore, believe it!"

She flushes and stares into the cup while Hinata, calmly ignoring her husband's interruption, informs her that it's sencha with a raised eyebrow but no spoken question. With no small amount of guilt, Sarada chooses to ignore it in favor of taking a long sip of her tea. Though black tea has always been her favorite, the amount of caffeine is too dangerous for her considering her current condition, and she has resigned herself to green teas until they have finished having children. Though Mitsuki assured her that his reading found no problems with caffeine consumption during pregnancy, her own research on the history of her clan has found too many failed pregnancies for her to feel that safe and self-assured.

She's shockingly grateful as Himawari launches immediately into an excited speech to her brother about her recent promotion, and her heart almost lurches for the girl at the clear desperation for approval she radiates. Unlike herself during childhood, though, her brother is here to offer her the validation she seeks. "She's been dying to talk to Boruto about it," Hinata explains softly when Himawari gets up to put away everyone's empty cups. "She didn't want to intrude on the two of you, though, having only been married for four months and all. Speaking of which, how have the two of you been? I don't think we've seen you since the wedding with how busy you've been." Sending Sarada a surprisingly scandalous-seeming smile, she takes one of Naruto's hands.

Feeling heat creep up her face, she glances over at her husband, unsure. Rather than giving her a thumbs up like he might have when they were younger, the corner of his mouth lifts in a small smile and he gives her hand a little squeeze under the table.

"We actually had an announcement that we wanted to make today. We should wait for Hima-chan to get back, though." Hearing her name, she quickly finds her seat, leaning close to the two of them as though she has a bet relying on this (which doesn't seem very unlikely, actually). She feels her face flush again. "Well, we, um..." There's something totally alienating about the way everyone watches her. Her best bet is to power on and cling to Boruto's hand under the surface of the table like a lifeline. "I'm pregnant."

The response is immediate. Himawari squeals, throwing herself at the two of them and wrapping one arm around each of their necks to drag them in for a hug, Hinata grins impishly at the two of them, which is certainly a new expression for the woman, and Naruto just gawks. She wraps one arm around Himawari awkwardly, not particularly used to the affection, and doesn't feel like she can breathe completely properly until she's finally released.

Shifting in her seat, she doesn't try to hide the fact that she's gotten at least half a foot closer to Boruto, clinging to his arm. His sister gushes, "I can't believe that I'm going to be an aunt! It feels like you guys only just got married! Do you know when you're due? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Himawari," Boruto laughs, cutting her off.

"We haven't gotten that far yet," Sarada says, more than a little embarrassed now that she has everyone's attention. "So no. No sex yet. But it's due in March."

Naruto-ji-san stands and pats her back with a grin. "Well, now you _have_ to start calling us kā-san and tō-san. What's my grandkid gonna think if one of their parents is still running around calling us aunt and uncle?" She laughs. It comes surprisingly easy to her, and the air around her feels a lot lighter, or at least a lot easier to breathe, so she supposes that his track record of being good with people is holding strong.

"Maybe I'll just call you Lord Seventh all of the time," she teases, and he scowls. Hinata laughs quietly into her fingers and Himawari latches onto her brother's arm again, having a whispered conversation with him that Sarada can't pick up despite their close proximity.

Based on the way he snaps his head away and his face is completely red, she supposes it was something inappropriate. "Himawari!" He yells, and his voice cracks for the first time since they were eighteen. _It must be something really awful then._ "That's not something you can just ask, ya know!" She snickers and Sarada can only describe the way she returns to her seat as a slither, despite how frequently Sarada interacts with actual snakes.

Hinata finally speaks. "I suppose Hamburg steak was a good idea for dinner tonight then."

" _God,_ please. If you doubted my loyalty, my constant cravings for Hamburg steak and ebi chili should clear any doubt." Everyone around her laughs, though she knows that no one in this family has ever doubted that she is faithful to her husband. She's hardly had time to be, what with the fact that they've only been married for four months. She doesn't fail to notice that she's given an extra serving, but no one says anything about it and she chooses not to, either. For the first time in her life, she finishes her food before Naruto does despite having more food on her plate than he does (also a first).

Over dinner, everyone makes quiet conversation, but are much quieter than normal for the most part. She supposes they don't want to stress her out, and would find it thoughtful if she didn't know it's not _actually_ for her. Still, she enjoys the quiet as she sits still and waits for everyone else to finish their food, and she notices that Hinata-ba-san seems pleased, too. Later, everyone's walls seem to have worn thin as she and Boruto are leaving, and Naruto pulls her aside wearing a deadly serious expression. "You told us before Sasuke, right?"

"Goodnight, otō-san," she answers rather than admitting that they told her parents a month ago, and then rushes out the door with Boruto in tow.

**Author's Note:**

> As per usual, my fics are based on Japanese culture, which I research obsessively to portray accurately in my writing. In Japan, drinking tea during pregnancy, even highly caffeinated teas like black tea, is not frowned on! In fact, pregnant women are strongly encouraged to drink tea to keep up their hydration, so Mitsuki's reading is based on that. However, drinking a lot of caffeine (like coffee) is seen as a risk factor for premature labor, so you're generally discouraged from drinking too much of it. I have a headcanon that I've briefly mentioned before that Uchiha pregnancies are particularly difficult, and Uchiha women are prone to miscarriages and stillbirths, so they'd be cautious. Basically, you should decrease your caffeine intake, but most tea is still fine unless you're an Uchiha.


End file.
